My brother left a bag or oranges next to the microwave for about a month. I just looked at them, and they have green mold everywhere, the mold had passed from the oranges and was on nearby items too.

So i threw the oranges & the nearby stuff (with obvious green stains on it) away. I then cleaned the area with antibacterial dish soap.

Is there anything else i should do to decontaminate the area? (insert joke here)

Q.E.D.

03-05-2003, 11:04 PM

A solution of 1 part bleach to 2 parts water should kill any residual spores. Do wear gloves while doing this, though.

Cessandra

03-05-2003, 11:08 PM

I don't see why Lysol Kitchen Cleaner With Bleach wouldn't be good enough.

viking

03-06-2003, 01:34 AM

I'd just use plain old bleach, too. Antibacterial soaps are evil. At least if microbes develop resistance to bleach, well, that's not used in human medicine, so no sweat :D

Daerlyn

03-06-2003, 06:19 AM

Cessandra has got it. Lysol with bleach on the counter (I'd just scrub the whole counter, to be really safe), and the microwave too. You may just want to use regular lysol for the microwave, and be sure to rinse it well afterwards.

Mangetout

03-06-2003, 06:49 AM

Any proprietary surface cleaner should do the trick; you can't completely remove spores from your home; they are carried by air currents and are abundant everywhere (that's how they got onto the oranges). Unless we're talking about porous, fissured or rough surfaces, then a good scrub with kitchen cleaner is as clean as it gets (in an hour or two a whole bunch of brand new spores will have settled there).

elfje

03-06-2003, 08:27 AM

Or if you don't want to use bleach, you can use tea tree essential oil. It's the strongest anti-bacterial, antifungicide in nature. The Aborigenes swear by it.
Dilute some drops in water, and clean the are (no soap required).

Rinse well.

bordelond

03-06-2003, 10:03 AM

Not to gross everybody out, but common household mold is not at all toxic, correct (aside from being an allergen for some folks)?

And yes, I know about mold-infested buildings and related health problems. But aside from that scale of infestation, ordinary green mold shouldn't be treated like Ebola, should it?

There is a psychological "grossness" factor, but not a severe health hazard for most people from green mold, correct? I mean ... have you all SEEN how many varieties of cheese are made?

I'd go so far as to wonder if green mold is edible -- if extremely disgusting.

Squink

03-06-2003, 10:13 AM

Originally posted by bordelond
I'd go so far as to wonder if green mold is edible -- if extremely disgusting. I recall an article in the Anarchist Cookbook, or one of those other 60's era drug manuals about how fermenting pot for several days with moldy orange skins would really kick up the trip. It may have been just a tall story like the banana peel thing. Then again, maybe not. I never met anyone who tried it and survived to tell the tale. ;)

Smeghead

03-06-2003, 04:15 PM

Some molds, including some common household molds, produce aflatoxins, which are among the most potent carcinogens known to science. I'd use bleach.

bordelond

03-06-2003, 06:01 PM

Originally posted by Smeghead
Some molds, including some common household molds, produce aflatoxins, which are among the most potent carcinogens known to science. I'd use bleach.

I'm glad I asked ... thanks, Smeghead.

Cessandra

03-06-2003, 06:55 PM

Originally posted by elfje
Or if you don't want to use bleach, you can use tea tree essential oil. It's the strongest anti-bacterial, antifungicide in nature. The Aborigenes swear by it.
Dilute some drops in water, and clean the are (no soap required).